Compressible flow

Compressible flow (gas dynamics) is the branch of fluid mechanics that deals with flows having significant changes in fluid density. Gases, mostly, display such behaviour. While all flows are compressible, flows are usually treated as being incompressible when the Mach number (the ratio of the speed of the flow to the speed of sound) is less than 0.3 (since the density change due to velocity is about 5% in that case). The study of compressible flow is relevant to high-speed aircraft, jet engines, rocket motors, hyperloops, high-speed entry into a planetary atmosphere, gas pipelines, commercial applications such as abrasive blasting, and many other fields.

The study of gas dynamics is often associated with the flight of modern high-speed aircraft and atmospheric reentry of space-exploration vehicles; however, its origins lie with simpler machines. At the beginning of the 19th century, investigation into the behaviour of fired bullets led to improvement in the accuracy and capabilities of guns and artillery. As the century progressed, inventors such as Gustaf de Laval advanced the field, while researchers such as Ernst Mach sought to understand the physical phenomenon involved through experimentation.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the focus of gas dynamics research shifted to what would eventually become the aerospace industry. Ludwig Prandtl and his students proposed important concepts ranging from the boundary layer to supersonic shock waves, supersonic wind tunnels, and supersonic nozzle design.Theodore von Kármán, a student of Prandtl, continued to improve the understanding of supersonic flow. Other notable figures (Meyer, Luigi Crocco, and Shapiro) also contributed significantly to the principles considered fundamental to the study of modern gas dynamics. Many others also contributed to this field.

Accompanying the improved conceptual understanding of gas dynamics in the early 20th century was a public misconception that there existed a barrier to the attainable speed of aircraft, commonly referred to as the "sound barrier." In truth, the barrier to supersonic flight was merely a technological one, although it was a stubborn barrier to overcome. Amongst other factors, conventional aerofoils saw a dramatic increase in drag coefficient when the flow approached the speed of sound. Overcoming the larger drag proved difficult with contemporary designs, thus the perception of a sound barrier. However, aircraft design progressed sufficiently to produce the Bell X-1. Piloted by Chuck Yeager, the X-1 officially achieved supersonic speed in October 1947.

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